Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Strategic Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Palatka consultant lays out 5-year downtown strategic action plan, urges sustained branding and funding
Summary
A consultant presented a five-year strategic action plan funded by a Community Planning Technical Assistance grant, recommending sustained citywide branding, continued code enforcement, a port consolidation feasibility process, shared parking agreements and improved public information as the plan's five priorities.
A consultant working under a Community Planning Technical Assistance (CPTA) grant told the Palatka City Commission that the city’s five‑year downtown strategic action plan should prioritize sustained branding and promotional funding, stronger code enforcement and a multi-step plan for a consolidated port site.
Laura Dietrich, senior project manager with Half Associates, said the grant produced four buckets of work—placemaking, economic development, community toolbox and public involvement—and that the consultant distilled the city’s priorities into five implementable actions to be pursued from 2025 to 2030.
Dietrich said the plan is not a “visioning of anything and everything” but “something that’s actually implementable, something that’s reasonable, that’s realistic, and something that’s a priority.” She told the commission the most consistent community priority was continuous branding and promotion funded by a combination of the Central Business District TIF and city funds, coordinated with the county chamber and regional partners.
The plan’s five recommended actions are: 1) sustained branding and marketing for the Central Business District and the City of Palatka; 2) ongoing code enforcement and staffing improvements; 3) pursuing feasibility, due diligence and a development strategy for a consolidated port property owned by the city; 4) exploring shared‑parking agreements to use under‑utilized private and public lots; and 5) public information and education to help residents, property owners and developers navigate permitting and ordinances.
Dietrich said the project included two kickoff workshops (Nov. 19 and Dec. 3) plus a months‑long public survey, and that the final implementation checklist (the grant’s fourth deliverable) would be delivered to city staff for review by May 29. She also recommended coupling CRA/TIF funding with outside grants when possible.
Commissioners and staff discussed next steps, including how the port consolidated site would move from environmental due diligence to feasibility studies and what roles private owners, the CRA and other stakeholders would play. Dietrich said the implementation table would assign responsibilities and accountability across public and private partners.
The presentation concluded with Dietrich offering to prepare a scope and fee for follow‑up work and to pursue future CPTA grant cycles if the commission wanted the consultant to continue.
The commission did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was a staff/consultant report for future agenda follow‑up.
